Weston super Mare

I had this desire to take a sunset photograph at the seaside.  With the pandemic, it has been a long time since I have seen the sea.  Natasha and Rob were married in Kos, Greece last year and I saw the sea every day for a week. I had my fill of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Therefore, the plan was to visit Weston super Mare and experience the seaside and hopefully a sunset would happen as well.  The visit to Weston was with my photographic companion John Bray and our first port of call was the town of Burnham on Sea to visit the low lighthouse

Weston super Mere
Knightstone Island at high tide
Weston super Mere
The sea mist rolls in
Weston super Mere
Great evening for fishing
Weston super Mere
Not many people around in the wind

Just opening the car door on arrival in Weston and breathing in the sea air was exhilarating.  Hold on! The next sensation was sand being blown into my face and mouth.  Yes! this was Weston super Mare and in the middle of flaming June, it was blowing a gale!  It did not spoil the fun of being at the seaside. We parked on Marine Parade and then set off to take photographs of Weston.  Within 30 minutes it became obvious that the weather was closing on us, and a sea mist was descending on the town.  Photographs of the Grand Pier, Marine lake and Knightstone Island followed as we made our way around Anchor Head and finally ending up at the abandoned Birnbeck pier.  This looked very sad and in a poor state of repair.  It seems there is an ongoing saga of what is going to happen with the pier.

The sea was being whipped up to a frenzy by the wind and the waves crashed onto the promenade.  There was one person protesting at the strange times we are living in, and he was yelling at the high tide and blowing a horn.  All the walking and photographing had given us an appetite and we fancied fish and chips.  What else would you choose on your overdue visit to the seaside.  It appears that Weston super Mare shuts down at around 7pm and nothing was open except for a few pubs and restaurants.  The amusement arcades were empty, and they too were shutting down for the night.  Fortunately, we found two community police officers who gave us directions to a traditional fish and chip shop.  Hallelujah, at last we found one.  The premises were very traditional and looked new and vibrant against the quietly dilapidated charity shop rich streets of Weston.   Leaving the empty roads to the people wandering around, we returned to Marine parade and sat down to have our fish and chips.  What a racket the seagulls made. They were getting ready to dive bomb us and they hung in the wind waiting for the opportunity to grab a stray piece of fish or even a chip. 

Weston super Mere
The Tide is High
Weston super Mere
Traditional fish and chip shop
Weston super Mere
Fish and Chip Supper

We then looked for the sunset.  Alas that was not going to happen, although there were some occasional flashes of light and the retreating tide left beautiful reflections.  But no sunset! So we decided to call it a day and head back to Birmingham.  It was an enjoyable trip down but we left with mixed thoughts.  Weston has a wonderful promenade but the town is so quiet at night with not a great deal taking place in the town. Maybe the poor weather was keeping people in their hotels. Maybe we should return when the people return.

Weston super Mere
Sunset Colours
Weston super Mere
Tropicana amusement park

Whilst in Weston, I did enjoy finding some interesting street art dotted around the parade and the town. The street artist Jamie Scanlon known as JPS is one of the artists that features heavily in the town. There are others and here is a selection of the pictures that I found.

Street Art in Weston
Street Art in Weston
Weston super Mere
Seascape off Anchor Head

It has taken some time to sort out the holiday photographs so here they are. First off is our arrival at Watergate Bay. As soon as we had unpacked then we all headed off to the beach to have some fun. It was wet and windy but as the pictures show that did not distract from the fun.

Sky meets Water
Silhouettes
Happiness
Three surfers
I love my Mum
Not sure about this, Mummy
We do like to be beside the seaside
First look at the sea
Getting the hang of this
Walk across the sands

Dubai is a fascinating city and there is a great deal of sand, concrete and glass.  There are beautiful buildings punching upwards towards the sky. The Burj Khalifa tower is the tallest building in the world and its design is complimented by the also impressive Jumeirah Emirates towers.  In the morning, there is a haze as the sun rises and the buildings look like marooned giants searching for their way home. 

During the day the sun burns out the structures and it was fortunate that I brought along my UV/polarised filter which helped cut down the glare and bring colour back to the pictures.  You also are not able to stay out in the heat for too long either as it saps your energy.

Jumeirah Emirates towers during the day

View from the Emirates Towers

The Skyscrapers look like needles.

As the sun sets the colour returns and the buildings reflect the reds giving a warm glow to the concrete and steel.

Sunset over the towers

It is fleeting as dusk followed by the night arrives.  However the neon takes over and there are many opportunities to take night shots.  I visited Wafi where the buildings have an Egyptian theme and there is an evening light show.

Wafi

View of the Raffles Pyramid

 

Future site for Phase 2, The University of Birmingham. Just Sand at present.

My visit was part of my work with the University of Birmingham so many of the pictures were taken when the opportunity arose during the day. It is an exciting city and look forward to seeing how the University of Birmingham develops there.